Macrophages inhibit Aspergillus fumigatus germination and neutrophil-mediated fungal killing.

ABSTRACT: In immunocompromised individuals, Aspergillus fumigatus causes invasive fungal disease that is often difficult to treat. Exactly how immune mechanisms control A. fumigatus in immunocompetent individuals remains unclear. Here, we use transparent zebrafish larvae to visualize and quantify neutrophil and macrophage behaviors in response to different A. fumigatus strains. We find that macrophages form dense clusters around spores, establishing a protective niche for fungal survival. Macrophages exert these protective effects by inhibiting fungal germination, thereby inhibiting subsequent neutrophil recruitment and neutrophil-mediated killing. Germination directly drives fungal clearance as faster-growing CEA10-derived strains are killed better in vivo than slower-growing Af293-derived strains.

SUBMITTER: Rosowski EE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6091969 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature